New Repertory Theatre, in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, is thrilled to present The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Written by Martin McDonagh, the playwright who gave us the critically acclaimed The Pillowman, comes this blazingly funny and bitterly blood-curdling play about a terrorist and his cat. The Lieutenant of Inishmore opens for the press on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 7:30pm and plays through November 16, 2008 at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in the Charles Mosesian Theater.
“I am very excited that New Rep is producing another of
Martin McDonagh’s works.” says
Rick Lombardo, Producing Artistic Director. “He is one of the theater world’s most highly regarded contemporary authors, and I’m very pleased that New Rep has introduced more of his work than any other theater company to the Boston area.”
“I am thrilled to be returning to New Rep.” states David R. Gammons, the director of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, who directed last season’s Downstage @ New Rep production of My Name is
Rachel Corrie. “I share McDonagh’s dark sense of humor, and I am looking forward to bringing this bloody comedy to life on stage.”
Blazingly funny and bitterly blood-curdling. A brazen and unapologetic farce. This award-winning comedy tells of a ruthless Irish Republican Army enforcer, “Mad” Padraic, and the one thing he loves more than anything else in the world . . . his little black cat, Wee Thomas. But someone has killed Wee Thomas. Was it an accident or an execution? Whoever is responsible had better fess up, or Padraic’s reign of terror will come crashing down on the small Irish island of Inishmore. What ensues is a hilariously bloody, choking farce, quintessential to McDonagh.
New Repertory Theatre presents provocative and intelligent works of both established and emerging playwrights in an intimate setting that involves and engages the audience. New Rep has earned a reputation for
Dynamic Productions that honor the writers and feature talented professional actors from the New England theatre community as well as guest artists from around the U.S. New Rep has received
Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards for outstanding acting, scenic design, direction, and production. Programming at
New Repertory Theatre is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
The Artists
David R. Gammons (director) is a director, designer, theatre educator, and visual artist. He is the recipient of the 2007
Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director for his production of Titus Andronicus with Actors' Shakespeare Project. Recent directing projects include: the New England premiere of My Name is
Rachel Corrie at New Rep; a revival of
Arthur Kopit's Oh Dad, Poor Dad… as the inaugural production at Harvard University's New College Theatre; Romeo and Juliet at Boston Conservatory; and
Eric Bogosian’s subUrbia at MIT. His work as a director, designer, and creator of original performance material includes collaborations with
American Repertory Theatre, Headlong Dance Theater, Spencer/Colton Dance, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Theatre Offensive, and SpeakEasy Stage, to name a few. David is a graduate of the Directing Program at The A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. He has been the Director of the Theatre Program at Concord Academy since 2000, where he directs a Company of young artists committed to creating original experimental work. For more information, visit David R. Gammons.com.
Lynn R. Guerra (Mairead) has been busy with the Publick Theatre this year, performing in productions of
The Seagull (Masha), Hay Fever (Sorrell), and Travesties (Gwendolen). Last fall, she played Ophelia in Shakespeare Now’s Hamlet, directed by
David Wheeler. Lynn studied Theatre and Fine Arts at Hofstra University and Oxford University, where her favorite credits include The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Beatrice), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Suzanne), Agnes of God (Agnes), Miss Julie (Julie), and The Real Inspector Hound (Lady Cynthia).
Colin Hamell (Padraic) is Artistic Director of Tir Na Theatre. He recently appeared as Mickybo in their production of Mojo Mickybo in New York at the 59E59 Theater and as Charlie in their production of Stones in His Pockets in Brussels, Belgium. Tir Na will produce the American premiere of two plays by Irish writer Conor McDermottroe in Boston's BCA in February, 2009. Previously, he appeared: Off Broadway as Eamonn in
Ronan Noone’s The Blowin’ of Baile Gall produced by
Gabriel Byrne at the Irish Arts Centre, NYC; Smiler Becoming Yank at the Huntington Theatre, Boston; Mickybo in Mojo Mickybo by Owen McCafferty, Ladeen in The Lepers of Baile Baiste by
Ronan Noone, and Coleman in The Lonesome West by
Martin McDonagh at the Súgàn Theatre, Boston;
Ray Dooley in The Beauty Queen of Leenane by
Martin McDonagh, starring
Julie Harris and Stuart in the U.S. premiere of Cooking with Elvis by
Lee Hall at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre; and Brendan in the IRNE Award-winning production of The Weir by
Conor McPherson at New Rep. Film Credits include 29 Forever and The Gates, starring Bob Wahlberg.
Rory
James Kelly (Donny) recently played the title role in The Drawer Boy at The Shadowland Theatre in New York and appeared at
The Public Theatre in Maine in the Irish play Moonshine, originally produced by
The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He toured nationally in several productions of the Tony Award-winning play
Equus with
Anthony Perkins,
Donald Madden, and
George Maharis. At the
ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta, he was seen as Ralph in All the Way Home with
Dana Ivey, and at the
Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles as Malcolm in Macbeth with
Vanessa Redgrave and
Charlton Heston, directed by
Peter Wood from the
Royal Shakespeare Company. As a company member with the
Asolo Repertory Theatre, he played: Marco in A View from the Bridge; Happy in Death of a Salesman; Gunner in Shaw’s Misalliance; Guildenstern in Hamlet; Saul in As Is; John in Winslow Boy; Burton in Burn This; and Marvin in Dark of the Moon, directed by
Sheldon Epps.
Ross MacDonald (Brendan) recently made his Boston debut with the Publick Theatre in
The Seagull and Hay Fever. This also marks the anniversary of his return from serving with the British Army in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Before this military sojourn, he had performed in a wide variety of productions on "the other side of the pond." His work includes numerous roles with the Oxford Shakespeare Company, most recently as Macbeth in Macbeth and as Pistol and Fenton in Merry Wives of Windsor (where he met his lovely American wife-to-be). Other roles include: Dr. Faustus (Dr Faustus); Garcin (Huis Clos); Spurio (Revengers Tragedy); Aston (The Caretaker); and Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet). Film roles include Lieutenant 119 in the Sundance Festival Best International film, Bloody Sunday. Ross' theatrical training started at the University of Winchester and the London Academy of Performing Arts.
Karl Baker Olson (Davey) is happy to be back at New Rep after appearing in last season’s production of The Misanthrope. Since then, he has played Posner in
Alan Bennett’s The History Boys (SpeakEasy Stage), Mark in Melinda Lopez’s Gary (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), Ben in
Nitzan Halperin’s Sow and Weep in NYC, and spent the summer serving as the assistant director for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s production of As You Like It. He received a BFA in acting from the Boston University School of Theatre in 2007 and has also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Stephen Tolin (special effects design) is proud to be making his Boston debut with New Rep’s The Lieutenant. of Inishmore. Steve owns and operates his Special FX shop, TolinFX, in Pittsburgh, PA. His work can be seen on screen in movies and television and on the stage. Some of Steve’s favorite theatre credits include: The Lt. of Inishmore (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA); The Lt. of Inishmore (Fusion Theatre, Albuquerque, NM); The Lt. of Inishmore (Teatro La Plaza ISIL, Lima, Peru); and The Lt. of Inishmore (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis, MI). You can see more of Steve’s work at
www.tolinfx.com.
Martin McDonagh (playwright) Born and raised in South London of Irish-born parents, Mr. McDonagh became familiar with the Connemara region of County Galway, the setting for most of his plays, during annual visits to relatives. His unsolicited script of The Beauty Queen of Leenane had its world premiere in the new Town Hall Theatre, Galway, Ireland in February of 1996 in a Druid Theatre/
Royal Court Theatre co-production before playing
The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in March of that year. Reviews were exceptional across the board, and houses were full to capacity. Beauty Queen was revived, amid a blaze of publicity, in October of the same year at the Royal Court’s main house at the West End venue, The Duke of York’s Theatre, following an Irish tour and reviewed again with enormous enthusiasm. Beauty Queen, the first play in Mr. McDonagh’s Leenane trilogy, was revived for a second time, together with the premieres of the second and third plays in the series, A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West, by Druid/Royal Court in Ireland and London in June to September 1997. After Beauty Queen opened on Broadway, it received the 1998 Drama Desk Award, the 1998 Drama League Award, and six Tony Award nominations, including the nomination for Best Play. In 2004, The Pillowman received London’s Olivier Award for Best New Play and, after transferring to Broadway, was nominated for four Drama Desk and six Tony Awards, including Best Play. In March of 2006, McDonagh received the Academy Award for his screenplay Six Shooter. Most recently, McDonagh’s play The Lieutenant of Inishmore received a 2006 Tony nomination for Best Play, along with five other nominations. Mr.McDonagh’s plays have been sold in 28 countries in 21 languages.
